GEEKERY: Endor – Where Dreams Come True!
This is your randomly scheduled Star Wars franchise update… brought to you by the D23 Expo!
The D23 Expo was held in Anaheim over this last weekend – along with a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Mouseketeers (Annette Funicello, you will always be my favorite) and the announcement of a new park in Shanghai there was a lot Star Wars talk. Shall we dig in?
Darth Vader is taking over Cinderella’s Castle!
28 acres of Star Wars themed attractions are being added to Disneyland park in Anaheim and Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Visitors will be given the chance to be part of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance, and get behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon. The concept art looks promising…
Here’s the full presentation with more concept art and a look at some of the planned attractions:
No word on when the parks will open, but the Season of the Force will be open at the beginning of 2016. Take the kids, it’ll be awesome!
Next up… December 16, 2016
The story takes place before A New Hope and focuses on a group of rebels trying to steal plans for the Death Star. I’m down for a Star Wars heist movie… you? Some ILM vets are in on this one. The overall team on the project looks pretty good. Gareth Edwards will be directing. Cast includes: Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, and Riz Ahmed.
We have directors set for the next two main films…
Episode 8 – May 26, 2017 – Rian Johnson (Looper and Brick)
Episode 9 – 2019 – Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World)
Alright, that’s what I’ve got this go around… tell me what you’re thinking about all of this in the comments. Excited? Terrified?
